ENQUIRY INTO PLANTS, IV. xvi. 2-5 



was a large tree, more than ten cubits high, and of 

 such girth that four men could not easily have 

 encircled it. The willow at Philippi which grew 

 again had had its branches lopped off, but the trunk 

 had not been hewn. A certain seer persuaded the 

 people to offer sacrifice and take care of the tree, 

 since what had occurred was a good omen. Also at 

 Stageira an abele in the school gardens which had 

 fallen got up again. 



Hardly any tree is destroyed by taking out the 

 core ; a proof of which is the fact that many large 

 trees are hollow. The people of Arcadia say that 

 the tree under these circumstances lives for a time, 1 

 but that, if the tree is entirely deprived of its core, 

 fir or silver-fir or any other tree perishes. 



All trees alike are destroyed when the roots are cut 

 off, whether all or most of them, if those removed are 

 the largest and the most essential to life. Such 

 then are the causes of death which come from the 

 removal of a part of the tree. 



On the other hand the destruction which oil 2 

 causes is due rather to a kind of addition than to 

 removal ; for oil is hostile to all trees, and 3 so men 

 pour it 4 over what remains of the roots. However 

 oil is more potent with young trees which are just 

 growing ; for then they are weaker ; wherefore men 

 do not allow them to be touched at that time. 



5 Again trees may destroy one another, by robbing 

 them of nourishment and hindering them in other 

 ways. Again an overgrowth of ivy 6 is dangerous, 7 

 and so is tree-medick, for this destroys almost any- 



4 i.e. to complete the destruction of a tree. cf. Plut. 

 Quaest. Conv. 2. 6. 2. 



6 Plin. 17. 239 and 240. 6 cf. C.P. 5. 15. 4. 



7 xa\firbs Se /cal Aid.; x a ^ fir ^ s 8' cffrlv conj. W. 



411 



